Outlaws make volleyball final eight

The Lady Outlaws defeated the Astoria Fisherman at home on Saturday, November 2, in the first round of the state playoffs and advance to the state quarterfinals, which will be held at Lane Community College Friday and Saturday, November 8-9.

Sisters jumped out strong in the first two sets and beat Astoria 25-15, 25-13. The Outlaws served great and hit specific spots on the floor, which made it difficult for the Fisherman to get the pass.

Nila Lukens had a big string of 10 consecutive serves in the first set to push the Outlaws to a 15-2 advantage.

"Nila really pinpointed her serves, and that made it hard for them to run their offense," said Coach Miki McFadden. "She hit the corners and served their hitters so they had a hard time getting ready to hit."

The second set, the Outlaws got even play from the entire team. Sisters pushed ahead due to their great serves and recorded an easy win.

"The girls are learning how to serve deep and short and are really mixing it up," said McFadden. "That makes it hard for the other team to get set up on their serve receive."

Sisters got down in the third set but battled back and won the match 25-22.

McFadden told The Nugget that the Outlaws have fallen into that pattern lately; posting two easy wins and then struggling in the third set.

"We go like gangbusters and then we relax a little and the other team picks it up," said McFadden. "The good thing is that even though we get down we come back and turn it on again."

Four players provided very solid hitting for the Outlaws.

Isabel Tara led Sisters with 14 kills. Allie Spear had a great all-around game and finished with 10 kills, led the team with 13 digs and served up two aces. Lukens recorded seven kills in the match and Brooke Knirk posted nine kills out of 11 attempts.

Savannah Spear tallied 10 digs and two aces. Alex Hartford dished out 25 assists and recorded two aces. Katelyn Meeter added 13 assists in the match.

McFadden commented on the team's play.

"When we play like we did in the first two sets we're awesome," said McFadden. "But, we have to keep up that intensity in the third, fourth and even the fifth set."

The Lady Outlaws plan to work on their blocking and combinations in their offense as they prepare for the quarterfinals. Sisters has been solid in their serve-receive and want to work to keep that part of their game fresh.

Four days prior to their match with Astoria, the Outlaws set up a match with 5A Summit, and were pleased with the fierce competition.

Sisters defeated the Storm with scores of 25-16, 25-22, 14-25, and 26-24. The Outlaws' serving took Summit out of their game. The win was exciting for the Outlaws, and a confidence-booster.

Tara led the offense with 19 kills and four blocks and Allie Spear followed with 16 kills and eight aces. Lukens recorded 10 kills and two blocks and Savannah Spear posted 21 digs. Hartford had 28 assists and four aces in the match and Meeter finished with 18 assists and four aces.

The Outlaws will play Banks at 8 a.m. on Friday, November 8, in the quarterfinals at Lane Community College.